Forever Young
by My Name Is Not Grace
Summary: Noah Puckerman always had a rough exterior. It was his way of coping. However, those barriers come down whenever he looks into the eyes of his daughter, Ellie. // A stand alone fic from the Pretty Girl series.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or the song **_**Forever Young**_** by Bob Dylan.**

**Author's Note: This is a stand alone from the **_**Pretty Girl**_** series. I thought it'd be a nice break from all the angst. Seriously, **_**I'm**_** getting depressed from all the unfortunate situations I put everyone through. So to lighten the mood, here is a sweet moment between Noah and Ellie. Enjoy.**

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**Forever Young**

The nighttime sky was dark (At least, as dark as it could get in the city.) with firefly like stars flickering in the far, far distance. It had been a quiet day. Not much happened. Work at Thornton Tomasetti was business as usual – meeting clients, revising blueprints, writing memorandums. The only thing even _close_ to being called eventful was when one of the copiers decided to turn on Zachary from Accounting and shot paper at him. A quick-thinking intern named Allison was there to contain the situation while the accountant was under siege. Everyone – including him – in the general vicinity was too preoccupied with laughing. Noah still laughed about it now as he went over some work he had brought home to work on over the weekend. The young architect looked up from the unfolded roll of Velum paper, surprised to see that his daughter was out of bed. The digital clock on his desk read ten twenty-six. He tucked her in not too long ago – thirty-one minutes earlier – and the last he checked, she was exhausted. Apparently not because Ellie was right there in front of him, chin resting on the desk's glossy wooden finish.

"Shouldn't you be upstairs in bed?" he asked, arching a defined brow. The five year old impishly smiled and shrugged her shoulders. He heaved a sigh, placed the blueprints (Funny thing about blueprints – they were mostly drawn on white paper.) he was looking over aside, and motioned for his daughter to come. Her hazel eyes gleamed happily as she padded her way around the desk and into her father's arms. A giggle escaped her lips as he kissed her sloppily on the cheek. She commented how gross it was but the two of them knew she meant nothing by it. Father and daughter shared a laugh that echoed into the night. "C'mon, monster, I'm tucking you back in."

"I'm not a monster!" Ellie protested as she felt herself being lifted up of the ground. The two had a stare-off. "I'm gonna win."

"Oh yeah?" The tiny child smugly grinned in response and promptly blew air into his eyes, causing him to blink. She laughed in triumph. "Cheater..."

"Well, _you_ cheated when we played Scrabble at Aunt Aviva's that one time. I looked it up in the dictionary _and_ on the Internet. Nobiterd is _not_ a word," was her accusation. "I even asked Rachel and she's the smartest person I know."

To be fair, nobiterd was _not_ a word in English – or any other language at that – and he was willing to admit he made it up so he could land on a Triple Word square as well as the Double Letter in between. "Okay, I cheated. Cheating's bad. Blah, blah, blah... No more cheating for either of us, deal?" Ellie agreed with a curt nod as he set her back down. "But really, don't cheat. _Ever_."

"I know. Rachel said cheating and winning isn't really winning," said Ellie, crawling into bed. "Daddy...?"

"What is it, munchkin?"

"Can you sing me a song? You're always busy with work... or on a date. I miss it."

Who was he to deny her this simple request? Noah's eyes searched the pink room, finally resting on what he was looking for. He grabbed it carefully around the neck in one hand while the other dragged over a wooden chair to prop his leg up on. He strummed the guitar strings softly for a good while, playing a random assortment of chords. It had been a while since he last played. However, it was hard to tell when his fingers expertly fell into place with every progression. "What do you want me to sing?" Ellie shrugged her tiny shoulders from beneath her thick pink blanket. She really had no preference so long he sang. "Is Bob Dylan okay with you?" Again the little girl shrugged. She didn't remember the names of the artists, only songs. She didn't know who this Bob Dylan person was. "Bob Dylan it is..."

Ellie smiled happily when she recognized the first few chords. This song was one of her favorites. Forever Young, that was what it was called. She made mental note to remember the name Bob Dylan from now on. This Bob guy wrote this for his daughter too, she thought, he just _had_ to. She looked up at her father and noticed his eyes were closed, wondering exactly what he was thinking about. She noted how his brows knit together ever so slightly on occasion as he played. Yes, she wondered exactly what he was thinking about...

_May God bless and keep you always  
May your wishes all come true  
May you always do for others  
And let others do for you_

When Ellie asked him to sing, he felt a pang in his heart. She never had to ask before. He used to sing to her every night... His growing responsibility at Thornton Tomasetti changed that. Memories of him singing at her bedside always brought up memories of her smiling happily. She rarely found things to smile – to _genuinely_ smile – about these days. However, that all changed when Rachel came into the picture that fateful Thursday morning. The twenty two-year old father was glad Ellie was getting back to the person she used to be. However, it saddened him – wounded his pride even – that it wasn't at his expense. Because of Rachel – _not him_ – Ellie was prattling on and on about nonsensical things, giggling madly, and smiling as brightly as the sun. Was he mad at Rachel? No. How could he be? Ellie was becoming Ellie again.

_May you build a ladder to the stars  
And climb on every rung  
May you stay forever young  
Forever young, forever young  
May you stay forever young_

Noah opened his eyes to see Ellie beaming widely at him. The pang in his heart dulled. She was smiling... _because of him_. In that moment, he took a picture. It was nothing extraordinary by anyone else's standards – just picture of a girl and her father – but to him, the picture would forever be ingrained in his memory. He'd remember exactly how her hazel eyes twinkled merrily like one of those winking stars in the sky. He'd remember exactly how her brown hair fanned about her as she rested her head against the pillow. He'd remember exactly how her tiny arms wrapped themselves around the stuffed animal he'd given her the day she was born. He'd remember _everything_. With all things Ellie, he typically did.

_May you grow up to be righteous  
May you grow up to be true  
May you always know the truth  
And see the lights surrounding you_

Recollections of the past suddenly appeared in his mind. He saw Ellie in her I HEART My Daddy onesie, taking her first steps. It was the first time Noah felt how it was like to have a heart attack. He'd been so scared when her legs wobbled unsteadily, finally giving way. Ellie never cried once. Instead, she gurgled cheerfully and tried again and again until she finally fell asleep from exhaustion. Then there was Ellie on her second birthday. It was time to sing Happy Birthday and Finn made the mistake of handing her the plastic yellow bat from piñata. After all, how much damage could a two year old do with a plastic bat? Noah wasn't there to see exactly what happened. (He was inside getting the candles and lighter.) All he knew was that when he returned, his best friend was on the ground in what appeared to be the fetal position and his daughter contently eating a cupcake. Mike and Matt roared with laughter nearby. Then there was the day Ellie got her first pet – a white Netherland Dwarf rabbit. He didn't plan on buying her a pet that day but wasn't that how things typically worked out? Mrs. Lee hailed them over as they headed home from Ellie's ballet class. She had a box and in that box were a handful of tiny furry things, which he soon learned were baby rabbits. Needless to say, a rabbit came home with them without so much of a pout or a Please Oh Please Oh Please from Ellie. All she had to do was look up at him with her big hazel eyes and Oxnard was hers.

_May you always be courageous  
Stand upright and be strong  
May you stay forever young  
Forever young, forever young  
May you stay forever young_

Noah looked at his daughter once more. Her eyelids were drooping and Ellie was struggling to keep them from shutting closed. Stubborn as always, he inwardly chuckled, _definitely_ got that from me. He and Ellie shared a lot in common – not including his eyes or hair color or DNA in general. For example, she could be _very_ persuasive without having to do much. One look and people did whatever it was that she wanted. She was fiercely protective of others as well. However, _unlike_ him, she used strategic warfare in lieu of unpredictable violence to protect them. (Though, he was positive Ellie would resort to inflicting bodily harm if strategy didn't work.)

_May your hands always be busy  
May your feet always be swift  
May you have a strong foundation  
When the winds of changes shift_

There was no denying exactly how much he loved his daughter. She was his Sun. She was his Moon. She was his Guiding Star. She was his Breath of Life. She was his Living Prayer. She was his Heart. She was his Soul. She was his Everything. Without her, life was dark. Life was cruel. Life was meaningless. Because a life without Ellie was no life at all...

_May your heart always be joyful__  
And may your song always be sung  
May you stay forever young  
Forever young, forever young  
May you stay forever young_

He strummed the last few chords, watching the now slumbering angel. Her face was one of contentment. Peace. That was all there was. Peace. Noah placed the guitar and chair back in their resting places with the greatest care, not wanting to disrupt the stillness of night. What am I going to do when you finally grow up, he wondered silently, when I'm not your number one? He shook his head. There was a lot of time until then. For now, he would pray to God, asking him to keep Ellie forever young. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, he noted it was ten forty-three. He had to get back to work but work could wait.

"I love you, daddy."

He would've thought he imagined the entire thing had it not been for the unmistakable smile gracing Ellie's lips. "I love you too," he murmured, placing a tender kiss on his daughter's forehead. "Love you too, baby."

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